When you’re looking for a web development company in London, it’s easy to get lost with all the agencies waiting to offer you their services. And if you are not really technically savvy, it can also be very difficult to work out what is going to be the best option for your web development needs.
Therefore, in today’s blog, I’m going to look at what you should consider when looking for a web development company in London and some key pointers to consider.
Know what you want
The first thing to think about before you even start looking is what you’re after with your website. Is it simply a newer, more modern website as yours is out of date? Or do you require a major rebranding? If it’s the latter, then you may be wise to use a company that can offer a multitude of services in-house.
There are a number of web development companies in London, but not all will provide what you need. Therefore, you may want to see if they offer things like web design, graphic design and hosting for example as this is probably going to be better than a company that focuses solely on the web development side. After all, you will want something that really reflects your branding and company ethos and the only way to achieve this is form a uniformed approach that encompasses both top level design and build.
In my experience, many companies tend to focus on their main skill – so for instance, someone that is focused on graphic design, may not have the best skills for your web development, just as someone who offers solely web development may not have the design skills to match. So, look at portfolios that showcase both aspects because this will really show you how good the web development company is.
Going with a company that can offer you more than one service in-house is always going to make things easier when it comes to organising it all and ensuring that all the boxes are ticked. So, if you know that you want a rebrand, choosing this kind of company will mean all phases are smooth and well organised.
What next?
So you’ve found your web development company in London for a full rebranding and website build. Next thing to do is to bring to the table what you want from the website. Take in to account that aesthetically it needs to look good, but that you will need to also think about the functionality. You may know what the pages are called, but if you haven’t thought about how people will get there, then this is a chance to express that to your development company.
Many people write a list and if you’re sensible, the web development company you choose will be able to offer you sound advice as to how it is best presented to your end users.
Additionally, if you are looking at rebranding, consider the implications for print. Often people forget about this bit when it comes to graphic design, suddenly realising that the logo and branding they opted for looks great online but that it doesn’t translate well on the side of the company vehicles.
Where to host
So you’ve now got your new website and you’re happy with it but you don’t know what to do about the hosting of it.
These days a quick website is an absolute must when it comes to your online presence. You don’t have much time to impress and therefore, if your website takes an age to load, you’ll find people will simply go somewhere else. So in all cases, try and consider this when choosing your web hosting.
Additionally, there may be a benefit to getting your website hosting with your web development company as this will give them easy access to your website for tweaks and changes and obviously will make things easier in the future.
Time and time again, hosting is one of the things that most people don’t put too much focus on, but if you suddenly need something changed on your website and your developer can’t access the files, you’ll find that precious time is wasted looking for passwords and hosting details.
What about SEO?
This is an area which is often overlooked at development phases, yet it should not be forgotten either. Essentially you will benefit from having a site that quickly loads, one that has a good amount of content and one that is easily updated.
This approach will affect your ongoing presence online and it is always worth considering this when you think about a new website.
If you have any questions about graphic design, web design or your website hosting do contact me as I cover the London area and am always on hand to give sound advice.
When you’re looking for a web development company in London, it’s easy to get lost with all the agencies waiting to offer you their services. And if you are not really technically savvy, it can also be very difficult to work out what is going to be the best option for your web development needs.
Therefore, in today’s blog, I’m going to look at what you should consider when looking for a web development company in London and some key pointers to consider.
Know what you want
The first thing to think about before you even start looking is what you’re after with your website. Is it simply a newer, more modern website as yours is out of date? Or do you require a major rebranding? If it’s the latter, then you may be wise to use a company that can offer a multitude of services in-house.
There are a number of web development companies in London, but not all will provide what you need. Therefore, you may want to see if they offer things like web design, graphic design and hosting for example as this is probably going to be better than a company that focuses solely on the web development side. After all, you will want something that really reflects your branding and company ethos and the only way to achieve this is form a uniformed approach that encompasses both top level design and build.
In my experience, many companies tend to focus on their main skill – so for instance, someone that is focused on graphic design, may not have the best skills for your web development, just as someone who offers solely web development may not have the design skills to match. So, look at portfolios that showcase both aspects because this will really show you how good the web development company is.
Going with a company that can offer you more than one service in-house is always going to make things easier when it comes to organising it all and ensuring that all the boxes are ticked. So, if you know that you want a rebrand, choosing this kind of company will mean all phases are smooth and well organised.
What next?
So you’ve found your web development company in London for a full rebranding and website build. Next thing to do is to bring to the table what you want from the website. Take in to account that aesthetically it needs to look good, but that you will need to also think about the functionality. You may know what the pages are called, but if you haven’t thought about how people will get there, then this is a chance to express that to your development company.
Many people write a list and if you’re sensible, the web development company you choose will be able to offer you sound advice as to how it is best presented to your end users.
Additionally, if you are looking at rebranding, consider the implications for print. Often people forget about this bit when it comes to graphic design, suddenly realising that the logo and branding they opted for looks great online but that it doesn’t translate well on the side of the company vehicles.
Where to host
So you’ve now got your new website and you’re happy with it but you don’t know what to do about the hosting of it.
These days a quick website is an absolute must when it comes to your online presence. You don’t have much time to impress and therefore, if your website takes an age to load, you’ll find people will simply go somewhere else. So in all cases, try and consider this when choosing your web hosting.
Additionally, there may be a benefit to getting your website hosting with your web development company as this will give them easy access to your website for tweaks and changes and obviously will make things easier in the future.
Time and time again, hosting is one of the things that most people don’t put too much focus on, but if you suddenly need something changed on your website and your developer can’t access the files, you’ll find that precious time is wasted looking for passwords and hosting details.
What about SEO?
This is an area which is often overlooked at development phases, yet it should not be forgotten either. Essentially you will benefit from having a site that quickly loads, one that has a good amount of content and one that is easily updated.
This approach will affect your ongoing presence online and it is always worth considering this when you think about a new website.
If you have any questions about graphic design, web design or your website hosting do CONTACT ME as I cover the London area and am always on hand to give sound advice.
